Tuareg rebels in northern Mali Sunday released 26 Malian soldiers who were being held hostage, according to news reaching here from Bamako.
The Malian government said Monday in a statement that Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika had made great efforts for the release, and Tuareg rebels led by Ibrahim Ag Bahanga are still holding more than 60 hostages, most of them soldiers.
Since May 2006, Malian regular armed forces have been struggling to tackle a Tuareg-inspired rebellion that has manifested itself with the launch of devastating attacks against military camps in northeast Mali.
The two sides signed a peace agreement in Algiers, the Algerian capital, in July 2006. But clashes flared up again in August 2007 when the rebels kidnapped 50 Malian soldiers and civilians on the border of Mali and Algeria.
In July 2008, the two sides held a new round of negotiations in Algiers to restore peace and security in the region.
Source:Xinhua
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